How Guillermo del Toro mentored the directors of Mexico’s first-ever stop-motion film ‘I Am Frankelda’

As teens, brothers Arturo and Roy Ambriz, both filmmakers who had taken courses on makeup and special effects, and who hail from Mexico City, took a chance. They cold-emailed Guillermo Del Toro and included images of their work asking the Academy Award-winning director for professional advice.

Much to their surprise, Del Toro — who’s known within the industry as one of the most generous and collaborative artists today — responded. “Since then, he has been our mentor; our friend. We always say that he’s our Gandalf, and we are his Hobbits,” Roy tells Page Six Hollywood.

“I Am Frankelda” is Mexico’s first-ever stop-motion film. Netflix

Next week, the Ambriz brothers are on the cusp of making history as the writers and directors of Mexico’s first-ever stop-motion animated film, “I Am Frankelda,” which will premiere on Netflix on June 12. “[Del Toro] saved us, because we had a lot of doubts and a lot of debts. He has been helping us to become better filmmakers,” Roy says.

“I Am Frankelda” follows a gifted young writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed until one fateful night, when she is thrust into her subconscious and meets the very monsters she created in her imagination. Frankelda goes on a fantastical journey to reclaim her power as a storyteller and restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse. Fans of “Coraline” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” are in for a treat.

Del Toro helped the pair secure distribution, first in Mexico and then internationally. “We finished this film, but we didn’t know anything. What should we do with this? He was like, ‘Oh no! I need to help you!’”

Filmmakers Arturo and Roy Ambriz reached out to the legendary del Toro on a whim for advice with the movie. Netflix

Making history is never easy. “We never doubted that it was possible,” said Arturo. “It’s easy to listen to all the naysayers. The best thing to do about them is just to ignore them or to use their energy as fuel to go farther. After all, that’s what Frankelda does!”